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'If you build it, they may not come,' one reader says about airport

by Ed Wojcicki

When I have a conflict of interest, I might as well admit it. Back in April our Question of the Month asked whether readers favored a third airport for Chicago and whether they think Meigs Field should be closed.

I have a personal interest in this question because I use Meigs Field two or three times a year. Because nearly two-thirds of our readers are in the Chicago area, I go there frequently. Usually I drive, but sometimes I take Amtrak and sometimes I strap into a little commuter plane and head for Meigs. It's so convenient to land near the Loop and be in a downtown office within minutes.

Some who favor closing Meigs say it's used primarily by state employees who could do just as well by flying into Midway. I don't believe that's true, but my opinion will be of little consequence as high-ranking Chicago and state officials negotiate the future of Meigs Field.

What I do want to report is what our readers think. Of the 100 persons who responded to the Question of the Month, more than seven in 10 said Meigs Field should stay open. As one Chicago reader explained, "Meigs is needed not only now, but for the future. Local business activity depends more and more on small planes, not jumbo jets. The future will belong to those places with multiple small airports."

But those who want Meigs closed said that its use by corporate leaders is too limited, and that land should be of benefit to more people. "Closing Meigs would create much-needed open green space on the lakefront," one reader said, while a few others believe that Meigs passengers could move conveniently to Midway.

As for the third airport, eight in 10 respondents said to forget it. Many noted the airlines are against it, and it would be expensive, very expensive. "'If you build it, they may not come' is the lesson of both the Denver and Montreal airports," one Chicago reader wrote. "It is clear that passenger capacity has not been reached at O'Hare or Midway, and high-speed rail will eventually become the travel replacement for short- and medium-range flights."

I don't often give unsolicited advice, but I will say this: Enjoy your summer.

One thing I like about summer is that it's difficult to reach people (on vacation), and lots of people are simply gone on Friday afternoons.

I think this is healthy. Our culture reveres workaholics and disdains "nonproductive" time, even though leisure activities and recharging our batteries are important aspects of a healthy lifestyle. I'm pleased that summer remains a time when it's politically correct just to take it easy for awhile.

Illinois Issues July 1996 ¦ 3